Never Leave
by Traci
Summary: Another treasure hunt leads to another body. Is it murder or the curse?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Death in Paradise is sadly not mine. Belongs to the writers, creators, production teams and BBC.

Author Note: Any fan already knows what we are in for for the 3rd season – waaaah – so I'm just ignoring what's to come and sticking with what we all know. For those that don't know, to quote River Song, "Spoilers". Also, I'm American but tried to keep with the British words so any mistakes there are completely mine. Although, for the record, I still get all excited when people mention carrying a torch only to be disappointed to remember it's a flashlight.

**Later chapters will reference an attack with intent to rape - it's not major but just felt I should warn.

* * *

**I'll Never Leave You**

* * *

Stifling humidity had settled of Saint Marie making every day existence that much more unbearable for those not used to such conditions. The setting sun offered little relief.

"We shouldn't be here." The young woman's whisper hinted of the depth of her fear but she continued to trudge along the jungle path behind her boyfriend.

"All those stories are just to keep people away. If we find the treasure we'll own this island and all those around it."

"Assuming we live," she mumbled.

Her boyfriend stopped so quickly she walked right into him. Their eyes widened at the site of the large cave opening before them. Maybe the legends weren't just legends after all.

"Rob, I have a really bad feeling about this."

"Come on, Ashley, didn't we choose the Caribbean for some adventure? What can be more adventurous than this?" Without waiting for an answer, he turned on his torch and disappeared into the darkness of the cave.

Taking a deep breath, Ashley followed him.

* * *

Detective Sargent Camille Bordey bit her lower lip. The pain of dealing with an annoyed and irritable Detective Inspector Richard Poole was far worse than the oppressive heat. She was already thinking up various plots of revenge against her co-workers for leaving her alone with him.

"Have they even heard of air conditioning here?" he grumbled from behind his desk. England had not prepared him for life in the tropics and no matter how long he found himself on the island; he doubted he'd ever adjust.

"You could wear more weather appropriate clothing, Sir," she offered.

He glared at his DS. He was British. Suits and ties were required no matter what the weather. "Maybe I could get some of those bright, flowery shirts? Why not go all the way and opt for sandals too. Two hour lunches lounging at the beach!"

Camille sighed. She had learned long ago there was no rationalizing with him when he was moody. Picking up her purse, she mentioned, "I'm going to get something to drink. Do you want anything?"

"We're on duty."

"I was talking about a cola."

"Oh." Richard stood up and grabbed his suit jacket, putting it on despite the heat. "There's no point to sitting in this sauna."

The ringing of the phone broke the silence. Camille picked it up and listened. "We'll be right there." She turned to Richard. "A body just washed up."

* * *

There was already a small crowd, mostly tourists, who had gathered around the gruesome scene. The EMT's had tried to keep them back away from the scene as best they could and Officer Dwayne Myers had jumped in to help once he and Fidel Best, recently promoted Police Sergeant, had arrived.

The body was face down in the sand but was obviously male. Fidel was already processing the scene with images, evidence bags and securing what he could.

"I haven't found much, Sir." Fidel placed another small piece of something in a bag. "If he was out in the water…"

Richard nodded.

With Camille's help, she and Fidel turned over the body to reveal a young male.

"He looks to be early twenties," Camille announced. "There's a large cut on his head with bruising." She shrugged at Richard. "It could mean he fell in the water and hit his head though." Checking his pockets, she found a thin wallet. "His name is Rob Cassop. It looks like he is from Wales. And this hotel card indicates he was staying at the L'Hotel de L'Aventure." Off Richard's look, she smirked. "The Hotel of Adventure."

"This had better not be another treasure hunter."

Camille chuckled as she stood up and wiped the sand off her legs. "It's the Caribbean. Treasure lures people here all the time. Haven't you ever wondered? Been tempted to look for lost pirate's treasure?" she teased as they walked back to the car.

"Not even for a second. Climbing around in trees and vines with snakes and blood-sucking bugs for something that doesn't exist? Can't say that I have ever had that urge."

"So you have no sense of adventure?"

"I'm still on this island, aren't I? I'd say that's pretty adventurous. Not to mention the food here."

Sliding into the driver's seat, she looked at him. "Most people would kill for the opportunity to work and live in such a place."

He gave her a small smile, one he generally reserved for only her. "I'm not most people, am I?"

She laughed outright and started the car. "No, no you are not."

* * *

The trip to the hotel had only yielded the information that Rob had been travelling with his girlfriend, Ashley Warren, who had also not been seen since the day before. With no evidence of murder, they had not been permitted access to the hotel room.

* * *

Back at the office, Richard was once more complaining about the heat, Camille plotted an escape plan for herself while Dwayne was trying to make himself look busy on a computer he clearly did not fully understand.

Fidel walked in with a handful of papers. "The autopsy report just came back," he announced handing the papers to Richard.

"How? How did you get them so fast?" Richard asked, clearly impressed with his young sergeant.

Grinning, Fidel merely responded, "I have new connections."

Camille shook her head as she stood beside him.

"Does Juliette know about these 'connections'?" Dwayne teased.

"What? Yes, I mean, no it's not like that," he stammered.

"Relax," Dwayne said laughing.

"Well?" Camille asked Richard. "Was it murder or accident?"

He looked up at her. "You're a little blood thirsty today."

She rolled her eyes. "Blame the heat, blame boredom, whatever you want. I can't stand sitting here listening to your whining anymore."

"Yes, of course. A murder is certainly more enjoyable."

With a loud huff, she grabbed the report out of his hands and read it herself. Her eyes met his.

Richard stood up. "Looks like we now have a reason to check out his room."


	2. Chapter 2

Still reluctant to let them in the room, Camille quickly made the hotel manager realize how damaging a media blitz about the murder of a hotel guest would be. With her gentle art of persuasion, he let them in without further hesitation.

A few clothes were carelessly thrown on a chair but nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

"Did they ask for anything unusual? Ask for directions to somewhere?" Richard asked the manager.

"As I told you earlier, they mostly kept to themselves but nothing out of the ordinary." He thought for a moment. "Yesterday, though, he did ask about a cave. Apparently they were into exploring caves."

"And you didn't think that was worth mentioning this morning?" Richard huffed.

Camille stepped over, gently nudging Richard to let her take over. "Which cave were they interested in?"

"You know the legend of La grotte de Celeste Anise?"

She nodded, inwardly grinning knowing how annoyed Richard got when things were in French.

"Did you tell them where it is?" she asked, surprise evident in her voice.

He shrugged. "What could I tell them? The location has long since been forgotten but he had a look in his eyes that said he knew more than he was letting on. Maybe they found it. Anyway, that was where they wanted to go. I think they may have heard of the legend of the gold but I can't be sure of that."

"Merci. If you hear anything from his girlfriend, please let us know." She sensed Richard walk up behind her, indicating there was nothing more they could find in the room.

"What legend was he talking about?" he asked as they made their way through the lobby.

"It's one of the older ones on the island – the cave of Celeste Anise. Back in the early days of pirates she was sympathetic to their ways."

Richard held the door open for her as they stepped outside. "More pirates?" he groaned.

Camille smiled at him. "It's an island, Richard. Pirates liked islands, especially tropical ones."

Wiping his forehead, he muttered, "I have no idea why."

"As I was saying, Celeste Anise was sympathetic to the cause of the pirates so she provided a safe place for them to hide – a cave near the sea but hidden from view. Over time it became the cave where every pirate who ever landed on Saint-Marie stashed their treasures."

They stopped at the car.

"Which would mean that if there ever was treasure it was long since found," he pointed out.

Shaking her head, Camille grinned. "No. But people have been trying for centuries to find it. The exact location has long since been lost but that doesn't stop people for looking."

"Which I guess is what we're going to have to do."

"Yes. My mother may have a better idea where to start. She knows all the legends of the island."

* * *

"Camille, you know you shouldn't try to find it," her mother, Catherine, scolded. "Too many have died trying."

"Yes, maman, but this is for a case."

"It's still too dangerous. Too many curses…"

While amused, Richard couldn't stop the sigh. He immediately cringed realizing Catherine's wrath would now be turned on him.

"You do not believe in these curses, do you, Richard?"

"No. They are simply stories to keep people away. The old way of a security system."

"Science cannot explain everything," she retorted and stalked off.

"Don't wait for your milk," Camille said, looking at his hot tea. "You know her."

"Yes, though I find it very irritating that she can hold my enjoyment of tea hostage with her moods."

A small creamer was placed in front of him as he finished his sentence and both he and Camille shared a mortified look before glancing up at her mother.

"It is not a 'mood' as you say. I happen to care about my daughter a great deal and am not happy about her risking her life looking for a cave."

Richard, to his credit, opened his mouth to lamely apologize but she continued.

"I've also grown fond of you. If you insist on going, I will pack some sandwiches and water. You're going to need it."

* * *

After a stop by the station to pick up torches, evidence bags and other equipment, Camille insisted Richard change into something more practical for hiking through the jungle. He, of course, insisted a suit and tie were very reasonable since they were still on duty.

With the information they had received from her mother about the believed estimated location, Camille pulled up next to another small car parked along the side of the dirt road.

"Do you think that is their car?" she asked.

Richard was already on the phone when Camille joined him. "Fidel, I need you and Dwayne to check out a car we just found. Where are we? Um…"

Camille took the phone from him. "We're on the haunted dirt road." She listened for a second and laughed. "It's daylight, I don't think you'll run into a ghost." She hung up and handed the phone back to Richard. "They're on their way."

"Haunted? Is there anything scientific this island believes?"

She handed him a small pack with the torches, food and water then took one for herself as well as a sharp machete. "It's not really haunted, we all know that. It just got that reputation because it's dark and overgrown and no one ever comes up here." Closing the trunk, she turned to him, "Didn't you ever have that run down house in your town that was known as 'haunted' just because it looked spooky?"

"Camille, I'm from England, everything there is 'haunted'."

"It looks like they, or someone, has been here recently." She nodded towards the path that had recently been cut. He hesitated watching her chop a larger path through the jungle growth.

She turned and gave him a look, one of the many he'd learned to read by now.

"Right behind you." Picking up his pack, he pushed all thoughts of spiders, snakes and blood-sucking insects out of his mind. There was a murder to solve.

* * *

Dwayne stopped the bike behind the Defender. "Wonder how the chief is doing in the jungle."

"I'd be more concerned about how Camille is doing dealing with him in the jungle," Fidel responded.

"And she knows how to make it look like an accident," Dwayne added with a laugh.

Fidel put on gloves then got to work dusting for prints while Dwayne scoured the surrounding area for any possible evidence.

"Do you think these kids found it?" Dwayne asked, poking at some undergrowth.

"The cave?" Fidel closed the dust container then opened the driver's side door. "I guess it's possible."

"Do you believe the legend?"

Standing up, Fidel looked at Dwayne. "When I was a child I often dreamed of being the one to find it and prove the legend was real and be the richest kid in the world with all the treasure. Now? I want to but it's different when you're an adult. I understand the legends that were simply lies to keep kids in line."

Dwayne just looked at him. "So was that a yes or no?"

Laughing, Fidel returned his attention to the car.


	3. Chapter 3

"Are you sure you don't want me to take over for a bit?" Richard felt it was important he offer to do some of the work but really hoped she would turn it down.

Camille stopped and turned back towards him. "Have you ever even used a machete?"

"No. But it can't be that hard, can it? It's just like using a knife to cut vegetables, isn't it?"

Shaking her head, she turned back to the task at hand. "I'd rather we both keep all our limbs attached."

And now he felt guilty. "Camille, you've been at this for over two hours. I think I can handle cutting through some banana leaves."

She stopped again. It was hot and her arms did hurt. "Alright." Handing the machete to him, she took the pack from him. "But please be careful. We're a long way from help."

He waved her off as he brought the machete down in front of him – completely missing any branches.

Arms crossed, she smirked. "Just like cutting vegetables, Sir?"

"Yes, yes. It just takes some time to adjust to a new knife. Just like cooking." He took another swing and caught the very tip of a leaf.

"Richard, how often do you cook?"

"That's not the point, Detective." Growing more frustrated he took another large swing and managed to actually get two large leaves. Proudly, he looked back at her. "Just like it."

Rolling her eyes, she picked up the pack and followed him, keeping a safe distance just in case.

* * *

It was dark. It was cold. Time had flown by or had it slowed? She was no longer sure. The pain was becoming unbearable. He was gone, that much she knew. The steps grew louder. It would all be over soon.

* * *

"I warned you," Camille chided while moving his hand away from the small gash on his cheek.

"You warned me about the machete. You failed to warn me the plants were life threatening!"

Her deep, brown eyes met his. "Yes, Richard, we have plants that are out to get you. They will follow you home and…"

"I get the point." Flinching as she dabbed a dampened cloth to the wound, he added, "literally."

"You'll live," she told him, covering the wound with a plaster. Taking one of the water bottles her mother had packed, she glanced around. "We should have been there by now if it exists. It's been over three hours."

"Are we even still following their path?"

Camille nodded. "You can see some fresh cuts ahead but they were tired. They started just cutting enough to get through."

Richard walked up beside her. "Maybe it was an accident. Maybe they weren't paying attention and walked right off a cliff."

"You don't really believe that."

"No. But there doesn't appear to be a cave, legendary or otherwise. They could have met with someone along the way."

Reaching down to pick up the pack, Camille jumped as the unmistakable piercing sound of a person screaming broke through the tranquility of the jungle.

"That was no ghost," Richard stated.

"No." She continued cutting a path in the direction of the scream. If Ashley had survived they may be her only hope.

* * *

Dwayne stared at his phone while Fidel typed away on the computer. "They've been gone for nearly four hours and not a word."

"I'm sure there is no cell phone reception out there. Camille knows how to survive."

"But the chief doesn't," Dwayne lamented. "I'm worried, Fidel."

The younger man glanced over at him, the same concern evident on his face. "They had known there was a chance they'd be stuck out there overnight."

"Right." He dialed once more with no answer. "Anything yet on the car?"

"It definitely belonged to them. I was able to match the fingerprints from the steering wheel to the victim. No blood, no signs of struggle."

"I still say it was the curse."


	4. Chapter 4

It took another hour but Camille and Richard found themselves standing in front of a very dark opening to a cave.

"This must be it," Camille whispered.

The sun was setting and, while both had reservations about starting the excursion so close to dark, they also remembered the blood-curdling scream. The scream that had not been heard again in more than an hour.

Richard handed a torch to Camille then turned his own on.

Every foot or so, Camille marked a rock with white chalk so they would be able to find their way back out. Nerves and excitement filled her. She looked forward to telling her mother that the cave was real, though not lined with gold as legend foretold. Something glimmered as her torchlight skimmed over it. She went to investigate.

"Richard," she gasped.

His own light highlighted hers. Sitting in a fresh pool of blood was a female's severed hand.

Wide-eyed, Camille looked at Richard. She was strong, she was a cop, she was fearless but something about realizing they were in a cave with a possible sociopath made her feel more human than cop at that moment.

Reading her thoughts, Richard put on gloves and bagged the hand, sealing the evidence bag. "No one's going to disturb the scene tonight. We should go back and get a full team out here tomorrow."

A low, gravely voice spoke from the darkness. "You're not going anywhere anymore."

* * *

"Something is very wrong," Catherine whispered sitting with Fidel and Dwayne at her bar.

"I'm sure they just found something and that's what's taking longer," Dwayne offered.

Fidel nodded in agreement. "You know how he is once he starts on a rant.

"Exactly," Dwayne jumped in. "Camille probably left him in the cave just to get away."

Catherine forced a smile but neither man argued with her as both suspected she was right but any rescue efforts would have to wait until sunrise.

* * *

Gingerly dapping at the bloody bruise on his head, Camille looked into Richard's eyes. "You shouldn't have done that. He could have killed you," she gently reprimanded.

"The alternative wasn't an option," he reminded her.

She gave him a thin smile. "Thank you. If you hadn't…"

Richard had never been the 'hands on' kind of police officer but when he saw the killer lunge at Camille with a bloody knife instinct kicked in. He had easily been thrown aside and his head hit a nearby rock but at least it had distracted the killer long enough to give Camille a fighting chance. She had managed to stab him in the leg with his own knife before he ran into the depths of the cave.

Even with the resulting throbbing headache, he would have done it again if it meant protecting Camille.

"We need to get out of here before he comes back." Richard tried to stand but the world spun a little too quickly.

Camille nodded. "We do but not in your condition."

"Well we certainly can't stay here with that madman running around."

She looked around and shivered. Somewhere he was watching, she was sure of it.

"You're cold."

Her attention returned to her injured friend. "What?"

"Take my jacket." Richard sat up and struggled to remove his jacket for her.

"You need to stay warm so shock doesn't set in," she reminded him, gently stopping him.

"I have long sleeves you have a tank top. I think you need it more than I do."

Camille sighed loudly. "Richard, I'm fine for now. What we need to do is figure out how to get out of here."

"And if you get hypothermia…"

She softly smiled at his obvious concern, albeit how much of it was due to the likely concussion he was suffering from she wasn't sure. "I'll be fine." She spotted one of her chalk marks. "Do you think you can walk with my help?"

He nodded without saying a word. Richard was many things but never without words. Suppressing her worry, Camille helped him up then wrapped an arm around his waist for support. She gave him a minute for the dizziness.

"Richard?"

"Go. The sooner we get out of here the sooner I can pass out."

In that moment Camille knew home was not going to be the first stop. She tried to remember if they had passed a hospital on the way in but the fact was it was easily a three-hour hike ahead of them, in the dark, with a crazed killer lurking nearby. She bit back the threatening tears knowing that Richard was far worse than he was letting on.

He stopped.

"We need to keep moving."

He shook his head. "I'll only hold you back. I'll fend him off till you get back with… with… um…"

"Help?"

"Yeah. That."

Her eyes filled with unshed tears. "Richard, I am not leaving you here. We can do this."

He tried to meet her gaze but everything was fuzzy. His vision. His thoughts. He just wanted to sleep.

"I'm not leaving you," he heard her say but it sounded distant. He felt himself being pulled along in the cold and darkness.

* * *

"The car's still here." Fidel pulled up next to the Defender.

Dwayne took a deep breath. "Definitely not a good sign."

Stepping out into the dark, the two men picked up torches and backpacks with water and extra batteries as well as some medical supplies just in case.

Fidel stared at the path Camille had cut earlier. "Did you ever hike in the jungle at night?"

"It was never really on my to do list," Dwayne responded. "You?"

He shook his head. "A first time for everything."

* * *

The first thing Richard noticed was he was significantly warmer than he had been before. The second thing he noticed was the ground he sat on was significantly softer. The third thing he noticed was the weight of another person leaning against him. "Camille?"

"Shhh," she whispered. "We're outside now. The batteries died so we have to wait until it gets lighter."

"Why did we stop? I don't remember much past you pulling my arm."

"I, um, you need to rest."

But her voice betrayed her. He shifted so he could get a look at her in the moonlight and gasped. "Camille? What happened?"

Leaves and dirt clung to her hair but it was the bloodstain on the front of her shirt that terrified him.

"He's dead. That's all that matters right now."

"If he hurt you…" he gently started.

Her head tilted in confusion then "No, not like that. He… he tried. But I was able to get the knife again and he's dead." The memory of him rushing her at the mouth of the cave, pressing her down to the ground while he reached for her shirt, the feel of the knife plunging into his heart.

She shivered then felt a warmth wrap around her. Richard had slid off his jacket and draped it across her shoulders.

She didn't fight him on it.

"I'm sorry I wasn't any help," he weakly offered while pulling leaves from her hair.

"You stopped him the first time, that was the time that counted." She touched his head near the wound. "How are you?"

"I'll live. Though I wasn't so sure of that earlier."

"Neither was I," she whispered and bit her lower lip.

He leaned back against the rock wall and slid his arm around her shoulder pulling her close. "Do you want to talk about it?"

She shrugged. "There's not much to talk about. He attacked and I killed him."

Richard remained silent. He had learned long ago not to push her and that she would talk if and when she wanted to. Then he heard her sniff and saw her wipe tears from her eyes. Ignoring his pounding head, he wrapped both arms around her and let her cry without question.


	5. Chapter 5

"How long have we been at this?" Dwayne mumbled.

Fidel looked at his watch. "Two hours."

"I didn't think this island was that big."

Smiling, Fidel continued to lead the way but stopped so quickly Dwayne nearly ran into him.

"What is it?"

"Footsteps, I think. It may be an animal."

They stood in silence.

"If I never set foot in a jungle again."

The two men smiled at each other. That was definitely the Inspector.

"Sir?" Fidel called out.

"Camille?" Dwayne shouted.

"Up here," came a tired but strong female response.

Within minutes the team was reunited.

"The body of the killer is still in the cave," Richard told them. "Ashley Warren's body is most likely there too." He held up the evidence bag with the bloody finger, which Fidel took from him.

Dwayne kept an eye on the unusually quiet Camille. "Are you okay?"

She offered a forced smile and nodded. "I'm going to get him to a hospital. Can you two…"

"We've got it," he told her. "I'll call in the forensic team." He looked to Richard then back to Camille. "Do you want me to drive?"

She shook her head, took the torch he offered her and walked down the path towards the cars without another word.

"Chief?"

But Richard followed her also without a word.

Fidel and Dwayne looked at each other and knew whatever happened wasn't good.

* * *

Catherine ran into the waiting room and immediately embraced her daughter. "Thank God." She stepped back to look at her. "You said you weren't hurt," she mentioned noting the bloodstains.

"It's not mine."

"Richard's?"

She shook her head but did not offer an explanation as to whose blood it was. "He's being checked out now." Camille sat down, the adrenaline rush of the past few hours was subsiding and exhaustion set in.

"Camille, what's wrong? What happened?"

She took a deep breath. "I think… I think this man was living in the cave and was deranged. We heard a woman scream then found a severed finger."

Catherine cringed but being there for her daughter overruled any other feeling.

"We had decided it would be better to come back in the daytime with a full team when the man came at me out of nowhere. Richard jumped in and hit his head when he was thrown against a rock. I managed to use his knife to stab him in the leg and he ran off." Tears trickled down her cheeks. "I really didn't think Richard was going to make it."

Catherine took her daughter's hand but remained silent.

Camille took a moment before continuing. "I managed to get him to the exit when the killer… he attacked me. He tried to… but I got hold of his knife again and stabbed him in the heart." She broke down completely and fell into her mother's arms just as the Fidel and Dwayne arrived. They looked at Catherine then went to the cafeteria to give them some privacy.

"I know once I get some sleep and eat something I'll be fine. I've been through worse when undercover but…" She looked at her mother. "Richard almost died to save me. If he had…"

Catherine smiled. "But he didn't." While unable to fully understand her daughter's attraction to the stubborn Englishman, she knew the attraction was a mutual one and she owed him a few English meals for saving Camille's life.


	6. Chapter 6

The team, along with Catherine, were quietly sitting in the waiting area when the doctor came out. Camille immediately jumped up.

The doctor smiled. "He's going to be fine. I would like to keep him here overnight for observation as he did suffer a concussion but he is refusing. I'll release him only on the condition someone will stay and check on him throughout the night."

"I'll do it," Camille offered without giving it a thought.

Fidel and Dwayne shared a look. It was the look that reminded them of their bet regarding when Camille and Richard would finally figure it out.

The doctor nodded. "I'll have the nurse go over what you need to do, what to look out for and the medicine we've prescribed." He noticed her bloody shirt. "Have you been checked out?"

"I'm fine," she muttered.

He looked to Catherine who gave him a small shrug yet at the same time assured him they would be looking after her as well as Richard.

"Can I… we see him?" Camille asked.

"Only one person until he's released and even then he needs his rest."

* * *

Camille followed the doctor into Richard's room where he lay with an IV in his arm and his eyes closed. As if sensing her presence, his eyes flickered open.

"Camille."

She stood beside his bed while the doctor left them alone. "How are you?'

"Headache of all headaches. Why can't we ever catch criminals in a mattress store or something?" His eyes settled on her shirt. "You…"

She smiled. "I'm fine, Richard. Just going to need a new shirt."

"My treat. Least I can do for you saving my life."

"You saved mine first. Fidel figured out who our killer was. His name was Nigel Sloan. He came here ten years ago searching for the treasure, lost all his money doing so. It seems he went insane in the cave and feared people were going to steal the treasure before he found it."

"Ten years? For something that doesn't even exist." He hesitated for a brief moment then, "Camille, how are you really? And I don't mean physically?"

"You're the one lying in the hospital."

"Camille."

But she simply shook her head and he knew this conversation would wait.

* * *

"I'm already in enough pain," Richard protested when Camille handed him a bowl of her mother's chicken soup.

"Don't you dare insult my mother's cooking again, Richard!"

Everyone had shown up at Richard's place to make sure he was all right after leaving the hospital and had obviously planned on staying until Camille ushered them off. Catherine left a large pot of her soup to help him recover.

Lifting a spoonful and staring at it, he said, "Camille, really, I don't know how you managed to eat this." He saw the glare and decided eating it might just be the safer option.

She sat beside him on the steps. Despite her protests to the contrary, he had insisted he didn't want to go straight to bed just yet. Going home just long enough to get a shower and clean clothes, she had backed enough in her overnight bag to stay for a few days if necessary.

They sat in silence for a bit while he forced down the soup. Sometimes it surprised him what he was willing to do just to make Camille happy. Most times it terrified him what meaning could be behind his actions.

With the sun setting over the sea, Richard finished and decided he'd sneak in some real food after Camille fell asleep. He placed the bowl on the step below them. Camille had remained uncharacteristically quiet and that scared him more than facing near death in the cave. Knowing pushing talking would only push her away, he simply slid his arm around her shoulder and gently pulled her close. When he had done that earlier on the mountain it felt right.

Her initial reaction was to pull away. They were back and safe now. How dare he think of her as some weak girl but just as quickly she knew he never saw her that way. In his own way he was trying to be there for her and she had never made that easy for him in the past. This time she'd give a little as well. So she leaned into him, resting her head on his shoulder.

"The doctor told me to make sure you rested," she whispered.

"I am. He never said I had to be stuck in bed."

She smiled when she felt his thumb lightly stroke her arm. "I really am alright," she assured him.

"I know."

"I've never had to kill anyone like that before." She felt him tense slightly.

"Have you ever…"

Camille nodded. "Part of my undercover work was drug related so yes, but always shooting from a distance. Never…" She shivered and he tightened his hold. "Never so personal."

He took a deep breath. "You know how horrific I am when it comes to emotions and knowing the right thing to say so please try to not take what I'm about to say the wrong way." He pulled his head back just enough to be able to meet her eyes. "You are the strongest person I have ever had the honor of working with and the most understanding person I have ever been able to call friend." He paused.

With her eyes, she urged him to continue.

"You are still human and a very independent woman. I won't insult you with the cliché 'I know what you're going through' because as a man, I never will. Even though he didn't get close to raping you the fact is he made his intentions clear. I'm not going to push you to talk but I will always be here for you. As an officer, I know how all to easy it is to disassociate yourself with a situation but…"

Before he could finish and with tears streaming down her cheeks, she wrapped her arms around him and cried in his arms once more.

* * *

After making her some tea, Richard admitted he was tired but only went to bed after he was sure she was feeling better and comfortable on the lounge. He had offered his bed and he would take the lounge but Camille was having none of that. He suspected she felt a little embarrassed about earlier when she cried again but it may have been exhaustion. Where he had been unconscious on and off after hitting his head, she had been up for going on thirty-six hours.

Saying goodnight, she reminded him she'd be waking him in a few hours to make sure he was alert.

* * *

As it was, he found he couldn't sleep. He lay there long enough to make sure she was asleep then got up, sat in the chair beside her and opened a book. Stealing glances at his guest, he noticed a blur of green scurry along side him.

"I'm just not tired," he told Harry, his adopted lizard.

Harry blinked.

"She can take care of herself. I'm just… reading." To emphasize, he lifted the book to the lizard.

Harry tilted his head.

"Fine. I feel responsible for her going through all this. If I was anyone else I would have been able to fight him off without getting knocked unconscious. I would have never allowed that monster to come anywhere near her. As it is, I'm not that person and now she's dealing with things that I don't even know where to begin to help her with."

"Richard."

His stomach clenched when he heard his name called with a familiar French accent. With mortified eyes, he turned to face her. "I, uh… I…"

She took his hand in hers and smiled, her eyes glistening. "We'll help each other like we always do."

He smiled back while lacing his fingers with hers. "Just no more soup."

Camille laughed. "No more soup."

They held each others gaze as both tried to figure out what was happening until Camille yawned.

"I'm really not tired," Richard said. "Why don't you take the bed?"

"But," she began.

"Nope."

"Richard."

"Uh-uh. I'm winning this one," he proclaimed, pulling her up from the lounge and leading her to the bed. "You need sleep far more than I do and I happen to know from experience the lounge isn't even in the same category as bearable let alone comfortable."

Too exhausted to continue protesting, she slid under the covers and grinned when Richard tucked her in properly.

"Goodnight," he whispered, placing just a whisper of a kiss on her forehead. He turned to leave when he felt her hand on his wrist pulling him back. His eyes met hers.

No words were spoken yet an entire conversation passed between them.

Maybe it was the concussion, maybe it was how vulnerable she looked, but Richard lifted her hand to his mouth and kissed it. "Sleep. I'm not leaving you, either."

"You heard?"

"It was what got me through."

Once sleep claimed her, Richard gently let go of her hand and returned to his book. He tried to ignore the idea that somewhere Harry was grinning and was genuinely touched when he spied his little green friend sitting on the nightstand watching over Camille.

One day very soon they would have to talk about whatever was happening between them and what they both wanted but now was a time to recover for both of them.


End file.
